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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · calf · wave · band · bat · wake · capital · rock

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rock — music
  20. band — a ring
  21. wake — a trail
  22. band — a music group
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com